Month: June 2009

I wanted to make you all aware of some upcoming speaking engagements I have coming up this weekend. I would greatly covet your prayers concerning them.

Saturday, July 4 – Tea Party

I have been asked to be one of the speakers at the Fort Atkinson, WI Tea Party held at Ralph Park. The event will begin at 1pm and last till about 4pm. There will be several other speakers as well as live music. I will be either the second or third speaker. I have also been asked to open the event in prayer. Don’t worry, I will be bringing my video camera. I know you all will be dying to see it…

I will be preaching during the morning service at Anchor Covenant Church in Lake Geneva, WI. My text will be I John 1:9. Please be in prayer for this church as they are seeking the Lord’s will concerning a new pastor. The service begins at 9am.

Share this:

Like this:

In my last column, I joked that with public spending out of control and the piling on of the international bailout bill, economic collapse seems to be the goal of Congress. It is getting harder to joke about such a thing however, as the non-partisan General Accounting Office (GAO) has estimated that the administration’s health care plan would actually cost over a trillion dollars. This reality check may have given us a temporary reprieve on this particular disastrous policy, however an equally disastrous energy policy reared its ugly head on Capitol Hill last week.

The Cap and Trade Bill HR 2454 was voted on last Friday. Proponents claim this bill will help the environment, but what it really does is put another nail in the economy’s coffin. The idea is to establish a national level of carbon dioxide emissions, and sell pollution permits to industry as the Catholic Church used to sell indulgences to sinners. HR 2454 also gives federal bureaucrats new power to regulate a wide variety of household appliances, such as light bulbs and refrigerators, and further distorts the market by providing more of your tax money to auto companies.

The administration has pointed to Spain as a shining example of this type of progressive energy policy. Spain has been massively diverting capital from the private sector into politically favored environmental projects for the better part of a decade, and many in Washington apparently like what they see. However, under no circumstances should anyone serious about economic recovery emulate an economy that is now approaching 20 percent unemployment, where every green job created, eliminated 2.2 real jobs and cost around $800,000 each!

The real inconvenient truth is that the cost of government regulations, taxes, fees, red tape and bureaucracy is a considerable expense that has to be considered when companies decide where to do business and how many people they can afford to hire. Increasing governmental burden directly causes capital flight and job losses, as Spain has learned. In this global economy its easy enough for businesses to relocate to countries that are more politically friendly to economic growth. If our government continues to kick the economy while its down, it will be a long time before it gets back up. In fact, jobs are much more likely to go overseas, compounding our problems.

And for what? Contrary to claims repeated over and over, there is no consensus in the scientific community that global warming is getting worse or that it is manmade. In fact over 30,000 scientists signed a petition recently directly disputing the claims on which this policy is based. Legitimate environmental claims should instead be directed towards the public sector. The government, especially the military, is the most serious polluter in the country, and is exempt from most EPA regulations. Meanwhile Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is that there will come a time when we will have to buy a government permit just to emit carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from our own lungs!

The events on Capitol Hill last week just demonstrate Washington’s audacity in manufacturing problems just so they can expand government power to solve them.

Share this:

Like this:

Due to some unknown technical difficulties, this week’s Understanding Our Times internet radio program did not air at its regularly scheduled time this afternoon. I will rebroadcast this week’s program (Six Principles for the Christian Single) tomorrow at 4:00pm (CST). I apologize for the mixup.

Six Principles for the Christian Single

Is it God’s will for all people to be married? Does God have a plan or design for those who are single? Tune into this week’s program as we address this very issue. Listen in for six Biblical principles for Christian singles. This is a prerecorded message preached by our host, Kevin Thompson, at a Christian singles conference.

You can join us live Saturday evening at 6:00 pm EST, or download the broadcast in mp3 format at a time more convenient for you.

“Understanding Our Times” is an interactive, live Internet talk-radio show that focuses on current events from a distinctly Biblical worldview. Host Kevin Thompson offers listeners timely discussion of meaningful issues with a variety of different guests each week. Callers are encouraged to call (347) 945-7171 to listen or ask questions. The stream and archives are available at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/understandingourtimes. The show is live every Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. Eastern/ 3:00 p.m. PT. The show is hosted on BlogTalkRadio.

Share this:

Like this:

Is it God’s will for all people to be married? Does God have a plan or design for those who are single? Tune into this week’s program as we address this very issue. Listen in for six Biblical principles for Christian singles. This is a prerecorded message preached by our host, Kevin Thompson, at a Christian singles conference.

You can join us live Saturday evening at 6:00 pm EST, or download the broadcast in mp3 format at a time more convenient for you.

“Understanding Our Times” is an interactive, live Internet talk-radio show that focuses on current events from a distinctly Biblical worldview. Host Kevin Thompson offers listeners timely discussion of meaningful issues with a variety of different guests each week. Callers are encouraged to call (347) 945-7171 to listen or ask questions. The stream and archives are available at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/understandingourtimes. The show is live every Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. Eastern/ 3:00 p.m. PT. The show is hosted on BlogTalkRadio.

Share this:

Like this:

I grew up in a Christian home, had parents who loved me and loved God. I went to church every Sunday, learned all the stories, gave my offerings—even went off to a Christian college. And I loved God—and I still do. But I had a problem— legalism. I didn’t know it was a problem, at least not for a long time.

Hi, I’m Brent. And I am a recovering legalist. I’m looking for a support group for people like me.

Share this:

Like this:

I am really not a big fan of reality tv. However, I must admit, my wife was got me at least somewhat interested in John and Kate Plus 8 and 18 Kids and Counting. So, last night along with millions of other viewers, I watched the breaking news of John and Kate Gosselin’s divorce. Here are a few thoughts:

This serves to confirm what I have been saying for quite some time – reality tv can only have a negative impact on the culture. After all, we are glued to out tv’s watching a family go to the dentist or buy a new dog? When did this become entertainment? We are watching other families doing the ordinary things we should be doing ourselves.

Was anyone else bothered by the fact that both John and Kate keep saying that their kids were the most important thing? They cared more about the kids than their marriage. I understand that good parents always put the needs of their kids ahead of their own. However, I can’t help but wonder when kids became the MOST important thing the marriage takes a back seat. Kids need parents who love each other and who are both present in their lives. That means you must take time to work on your marriage – if only for the kids sake…

I feel very sorry for these eight kids. Let’s not kid ourselves, this whole idea of parents living in separate places can never fully replace two loving, married parents presenting a united front. Being stars of a hit television program means the kids will be taken care of financially as well. Yet, money and even “quality time” cannot replace the role of two loving parents living together. As a teacher in a Christian school, I often witness the agony some students go through as they try to sort through the two sets of parents they have. Add a the new girlfriend or boyfriend that may be in the picture and you have a recipe for a very confusing time for young adolescents. I’ve seen these youngsters torn between which house to go home to or even which parent to go home with.

Was counseling ever an option? My wife and I both were hoping that the big announcement last night would be that the show was ending. What a great testimony it would have been to see this couple say that fame was not as important as love! It would have been wonderful to hear them say that for the good of their family, the show would be ending in order to gain some time to focus on their relationship. No. Instead, we heard Kate declare, “The show must go on…” How sad.

Ok, this may be in poor taste, but Kate is just a shrew. She constantly degraded her husband.

It really irritates me is that these are Christians, and everyone knows it. We watched them go to church and I can recall John wearing t-shirts with Scripture on it. They even wrote a book describing their faith. This is now just one more opportunity for the world to point out the hypocrisy of Christians. How can we talk about defending the sanctity of marriage in relation to homosexual marriage when we don’t even consider our own wedding vows sacred?

It seems to me as if “Christian” families like this really have no positive impact on society. In fact, there it is more likely that they will have a negative impact. While on tv, their faith was never fully displayed, but only hinted at. There were just enough clues to get evangelicals excited but not enough to turn away secular viewers. So, while the family is together – it was just another tv show. No one ever got saved by watching John and Kate Plus Eight or 18 Kids and Counting. The only way for shows like this to break out from the pack is for a disaster like this to occur.

Resolved on the day of my second wedding anniversary – you will never see Jill and Kevin Plus Seven hit the airwaves.

Share this:

Like this:

Lately, I have been thinking about how we as Christians ought to present the gospel to the lost. It is clear that many people wish to water down the true Biblical way of salvation. Some times this is done through the use of personal testimony.

Now, I understand some of you may be shocked by that statement. After all, doesn’t the Bible command is to be a witness? What is a witness? A witness is one who can testify of what they have personally seen.

If I were a wtiness in a murder trial, my job would be to sit in the witness chair and describe the murder. My job would not be to describe how I felt about the murder, how I got to the murder scene or what I wore while the murder took place. I tell what I saw. That’s it. I need to leave myself out of it.

I have heard many “testimonies” that actually get in the way of the gospel. The focus is on a wonderful story or one person’s triumph over adversity. In the end, listeners are left with the idea that the gospel is all about coming to Jesus to fix your problems (poverty, drugs, abuse…) or gain a better life.

The Biblical gospel focuses on the holiness of a sovereign God, the failures of a depravity humanity, the overwhelming grace of a loving Savior and an all-sufficient sacrifice for all who would believe. What is absent from all this – any human effort, tale or story. The only thing I bring to salvation is my own sinfulness. That is all.

I have no problem with one person giving a testimony of what God has done for him, as long as God remains the focus. But, the more I focus on my personal experience, the less I focus on the Cross of Christ. The more I focus on myself, the less I stress Biblical doctrine.

Personal anecdotes may be interesting and draw people into “the tent.” Fascinating stories keep folks entertained. But what is it that actually saves people? The power of the Cross. The message of the gospel.